


As the Revel Meets the Day

by DottoraQN



Series: Experimentation [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gray-Asexual Caduceus Clay, Gray-Asexuality, Hand Jobs, Inexperienced Caduceus, M/M, They're In Love Your Honor, They're soft ok???, Virgin Caduceus Clay, soft teahaw is best teahaw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25617433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DottoraQN/pseuds/DottoraQN
Summary: What if Caduceus had kissed Fjord instead of grabbing his hand when he cast Greater Restoration on him in the basement of Pelor's chantry? This is a lil bit of introspection from Fjord and a lot of Fjord and Caduceus being soft together. Hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Fjord
Series: Experimentation [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955176
Comments: 4
Kudos: 124





	As the Revel Meets the Day

**Author's Note:**

> I found the song Thus Always to Tyrants on someone else's Fjorclay playlist and the title stuck in my head. Thanks to @Rhapsodie for beta-ing and reading my drivel, despite the fact that she has no interest in Critical Role!
> 
> I did pull a lot of the dialogue directly from canon, but wrote in Fjord's thoughts. Thanks to @sil on twitter for kryogenix.org/crsearch/! It helped me a ton.

Every fiber of Fjord’s being is calling out to his friends, DO SOMETHING! KILL HIM! But he can’t say it aloud. He can't do anything other than stand in this damned ritual circle patiently, waiting for Obann’s next order. He’s watched The Inevitable End circumvent Jester’s dispel magic, he’s watched Beau almost die, and he’s watched Nott, as frustrating as she might be, get pulled under the same thrall that he is currently under. He’s angry. He wants nothing more than to eviscerate this thing for what it’s wrought on his friends, but the magic that has a hold over him has locked him in place.  
  
All of the sudden, he sees a flash of pink and Caduceus is next to him, grabbing him and looking into his unfocused eyes. The cleric’s brows knit together and Fjord senses his connection to the Wildmother sparking. Caduceus looks back over his shoulder and shouts at their friends, “No one die, ok?”  
  
Before anyone can respond he’s turned back to face Fjord, his magenta eyes staring deep into Fjord’s yellow ones. Fjord wonders what he’s going to do and then Caduceus is kissing him, the divine magic of their shared goddess pulsing through his fingers, ending the effect that Obann’s magic has on his mind. Fjord’s brain short circuits and he stands there, staring at Caduceus as the firbolg pulls away and grabs his hand, trying to pull him with him, saying, “Come with me.”  
  
Fjord tries to will his legs to work, to follow the beautiful, caring man in front of him, but he can’t do more than stumble to the edge of the circle and manage a soft, “Hi, Caduceus.”  
  
Caduceus looks at him, fire in his eyes, and says, firmly, “Get out of the circle as soon as possible.” And then he’s gone, darting to back up against the wall, leaving Fjord there, the soft kiss infused with divine magic still lingering on his lips.

***  
  
Fjord was angry again. He wanted to slash that smug grin off Ikithon’s vile face for what he knew the mage had done to Caleb. He was sure that there were things Ikithon had done that Caleb hadn’t told them about, things that made his blood boil to even think about. All of the sudden, Caduceus’ voice cut through the haze and the feedback, “Fjord?”  
  
He started, having been only half listening to the conversation going on around him. It seemed like the Nien were aiming to bunk together for safety. He nodded; it was a good idea. “Yeah, sure. I’ll room up.”  
  
The firbolg nodded, smiling at him serenely as they listened to the girls bicker about who was sleeping together. Jester was upset that she wasn’t rooming with Beau; Beau seemed to want to sleep alone, but when she saw how sad Jester was, she quickly softened and agreed to room with Jester and Yasha. Nott practically clung to Caleb’s leg, her hands twitching nervously like she wanted to comfort him, but didn’t quite know how.  
  
As everyone finally got up to leave, Fjord picked his way over to where Caleb was already measuring out his silver thread and said quietly, “If you want to finish this on a personal level, let me know,” before walking out.  
  
Caduceus was already unlocking the door to one of the other rooms that overlooked the street when Fjord left Caleb and Nott’s room. The taller man held the door open for him, smiling at him as he walked past. It seemed like an eternity since their rag tag group was down in the basement of that chantry fighting the fresh hell that Tharizdun, _fucking Tharizdun,_ had unleashed upon them. Were they really going to war with a _god_? As Fjord sat heavily on the singular bed in the room and started to take off his armor, his mind flicked back to the fight again. He’d been playing it over and over in his head, but somehow it was now that his brain decided to remind him that Caduceus had _kissed him._  
  
The half-orc froze in place, one of the ties on his leather armor slipping through his fingers. Caduceus had his back to him, rolling out his bedroll on the ground and unpacking his portable tea set. Fjord saw the firbolg’s ears twitch, the eyes boring into the back of his neck undoubtedly tipping off his keen senses, but he continued to set up his sleeping area. Fjord sighed, forcing his fingers to continue unlacing his armor. He set the heavy leathers aside, standing in only his shirtsleeves and trousers, unsure of what to do with himself while Caduceus finished brewing tea.  
  
When they weren’t being chased by something, this had become a part of their nightly routine; Caduceus brewing something floral and a little heady from the flowers he had brought from the blooming grove, although he had recently been mixing the blend with some rooibos and cinnamon that he had picked up in Nicodranas. Fjord enjoyed the warm notes and spicy undertones that the herbs and spices added to the normally sweet blend of the tea. He had said as much to Caduceus the first few times the firbolg fixed the blend in that way, but it just now dawned on him that after he mentioned it, the blend had remained the same instead of fluctuating as it had before. Was something going on?  
  
He jumped out of his contemplative stupor as the bed sagged beside him from Caduceus’s weight, the firbolg handing him a steaming cup. Fjord took it and gulped the mixture down, eager for some form of relaxation after the past day that had felt like a year. Cinnamon. He swallowed, the hot tea soothing his throat on the way down. He looked up at the kind face of Caduceus, who was sipping his own tea slowly, never taking his eyes off Fjord. Finally Fjord said, “Thank you, Caduceus.”  
  
“You did really well today,” the other man responded. “Tomorrow’s going to be hard.”  
  
Fjord quirked a scarred eyebrow at Caduceus, “What do you mean?”  
  
“Well,” the firbolg started, reaching out to set his empty cup on the side table, his shoulder and long pink hair brushing up against Fjord as he leaned across him. Fjord shuddered at the contact, the scent of peonies that always lingered around Caduceus permeating even the stench of a devil’s stomach lining. Settling back into his seat he continued, “I feel like you're going to be tempted into some old bad habits, and you've been doing really, really well, and we're going to be- I feel like we're going to be tested, with our convictions and our truth. And I know we're going to have to lie, and I know we're going to have to be complicated in what truths we reveal, and I know that it's all in the end going to be to try and build a peace, but I just want to make sure that you remember where you are and how you became this person, and what it's worth.”  
  
Fjord found himself taken aback. Caduceus was always kind, but this seemed like something else. _Was there something else? Caduceus_ had _kissed him, after all._ Fjord nodded, “Thank you for saying that.”  
  
He paused, considering his next words. Eventually he asked, “Is it important to the Wildmother to be honest at all times?”  
  
Caduceus sighed and looked up at him, saying, “You know, I don't know. I would say...” He trailed off, looking down at his holy symbol in his hand, thinking through his answer. He looked up at Fjord and asked, “Well, do you feel that nature is honest, or do you feel that nature can lie? And does nature lie?”  
  
Fjord took a moment to think as well, his answer springing to his lips quicker than he would have expected, “I think it can certainly be deceiving; natural camouflage and colors and poisons and deterrents and all sorts of things. But, it's also unyielding, it doesn't change for anyone.”  
  
“I never really thought of it that way,” Caduceus said, looking away from Fjord. He rummaged in his pocket for something and pulled it out, shielding it from Fjord’s view in his hands. He took a deep breath and continued to speak, taking Fjord’s hand and placing the object he was holding in it, “Well, I've been waiting on this...”  
  
Looking down, Fjord opened his hand and was presented with one of the most beautiful things he’d seen; it was a symbol of the Wildmother, but the usual wheat chaff was replaced with seaweed that had been fashioned out of copper. The patina on the copper turned it a gorgeous green, which matched the turquoise sea glass that was set into the middle of a stunning iceflex anchor. Fjord felt his jaw drop as he looked up at Caduceus, staring directly into the other man’s eyes. The firbolg smiled, almost giddy with the excitement of giving the half-orc this gift.  
  
“I mean, it's nice of you to ask me every now and then, but I don't really know if you need to that often anymore. You seem to have a handle on things,” Caduceus said.  
  
Fjord’s brain finally kicked into gear, his mouth snapping closed as he swallowed, trying to force the pinpricks at the corners of his eyes to not turn into full blown tears of gratitude. He looked up from the symbol, saying, “Where did this even come from?”  
  
“It was made at the forge. I've been waiting for the right moment,” he answered.  
  
“I-” Fjord started, at a loss for words. He decided simplest was best and simply said, “Thank you.”  
  
Caduceus grabbed his hand, patting it gently, saying, “Thank _you._ You're on your way. You're already well on the path, and I think that the more that you look to yourself for some of these answers- and I'm always happy to hear them- I think you'll be finding that they're in there.”  
  
“Thank you for helping me,” Fjord said again, meeting Caduceus’ gaze, “I'm really, really glad that we- that our paths crossed.”  
  
Caduceus squeezed Fjord’s hand. “To divine intervention.”  
  
“To divine intervention.”  
  
As Caduceus started to turn away, Fjord made a decision. He gently pulled his hand from the other man’s grasp and placed it on the firbolg’s cheek. Caduceus, for all his keen senses and wisdom, looked confused. “Fjord?” he started to ask, but the half-orc cut him off by gently pulling Caduceus’ face down to his own and pressing their lips together quickly. Fjord pulled backed quickly, not wanting to spook the other, less experienced man. Unsure of himself, Fjord blushed, pulling back from Caduceus.  
“Uh, I’m sorry, that was out of turn, Cad-” Fjord started to say, before he was abruptly cut off by Caduceus’ lips against his own. He felt the heat start to pool in his belly as they kissed, Fjord taking the lead and gently guiding Caduceus to deepen the kiss. He ran his tongue along the firbolg’s lower lip, lightly parting his lips to explore the other man’s mouth. Caduceus opened for him readily, letting the half-orc guide him in the sensual kiss.  
  
After a few moments, Fjord felt Caduceus’ hands at the collar of his shirt, searching and hesitant. Fjord broke the kiss, placing his forehead in the crook of Caduceus’ neck. Breathing heavily against Caduceus, Fjord grabbed his hand and guided it to his neck, below his collar.  
  
“Please touch me, I want to be close to you,” Fjord said. Suddenly he remembered exactly how much experience with this type of encounter that the firbolg had. He pulled back, leaving his hand atop Caduceus’ own, saying, “Unless..."  
  
"Unless?" Caduceus prompted.  
  
"Look, Caduceus. I obviously have feelings for you, and hope that you would return those feelings. But you tell me where you want this to go. I know you don’t have as much, er, experience, as I do, and I want to respect that,” Fjord said.  
  
Caduceus smiled back at him, rubbing his thumb against Fjord’s collarbone, setting Fjord’s nerves alight with his touch. Fjord looked into Caduceus’ eyes as the firbolg studied him for a moment before he finally said, “Fjord, you mean a great deal to me, and I hope that it is obvious that I care for you as well. I don’t- well, I’ve never done this with anyone before, but I want to be close to you, too.”  
  
Smiling back at Caduceus, Fjord let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.  
  
“So,” the firbolg said, “what do I do next?”  
  
Fjord chuckled, his laughter quickly spreading to Caduceus, who pressed his forehead to Fjord’s gently. Fjord looked up into his light pink eyes, thanking the Wildmother that she had brought him Caduceus. “Well,” he said, “We can start here.”  
Covering Caduceus’ hands with his own, Fjord moved them to just above the waistband of his trousers, where his loose fitting shirt was tucked in. The firbolg caught on quickly, grasping the fabric and pulling it free, lifting it over Fjord’s head carefully. The half-orc unwound his arms from his shirtsleeves, discarding the garment on the floor. He placed his hands on either side of Caduceus’ face, pulling him into another kiss. This time, Caduceus knew what to do, moving his mouth in time with Fjord. His hands settled on Fjord’s narrow waist, thumbs rubbing the sides of the other man’s torso.  
  
Fjord opened his mouth at Caduceus’ touch, unable to keep a heady moan contained. He wanted the firbolg to touch him everywhere, to run his hands over Fjord’s body, to hold him and keep him safe. However, that would come in time, and Fjord could be patient, especially if patience meant kissing Caduceus like this more often. Fjord let his own hands wander over Caduceus’ shirt, slowly working their way down to the firbolg’s waist. He moved to do the same as Caduceus had done for him, pulling at the blousy fabric where the shirt was tucked into the waistband of his trousers. Suddenly, he felt firm, but gentle hands over his own as Caduceus broke the kiss.  
  
“Fjord,” he said, softly and slowly, “let me help you feel good.”  
  
“Caduceus, you’re doing exactly that,” Fjord responded, puzzled. He noted that his hands were still engulfed in Caduceus’. “I want to make you feel good too.”  
  
Caduceus chuckled, “You being here, where you are, how far you’ve come, is enough for me. I don’t need anything else.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Fjord asked. He cast his eyes down, away from Caduceus’ intense gaze; heat was rising to his cheeks, coloring his face and the tips of his ears a dark green, “I don’t... I don’t want to take advantage of you.”  
  
“If I’m offering, I hardly think I’m being taken advantage of,” the firbolg mused. Fjord nodded and relaxed his arms, letting his hands slip out of Caduceus’ and fall into his lap. Caduceus’ mouth turned up into a small smile, amusement in his voice as he said, “although I do admit I am unfamiliar with how to do this with another person... I- my brother only explained how to do this by myself.”  
  
Fjord flushed an even deeper green, hardly able to meet Caduceus’ eyes. Why was he this embarrassed about this _now?_  
  
“Well, I, uh,” he started, unsure of how to progress with the sentence. “It's the same concept, just... not... with yourself...” Gods above, he sounded stupid.  
  
His attention was quickly wrenched back to Caduceus as the firbolg started to untie the laces at his waistband. Fjord groaned at the release of pressure in his trousers as Caduceus continued to unlace them. He gently guided Fjord’s hands out of the way as he pushed the fabric of the half-orc’s smallclothes aside, freeing Fjord’s cock from its confines. As Caduceus’ fingers brushed against his length, Fjord tried and failed to stifle a whine.  
  
“Caduceus...” he breathed, voice hitching as the firbolg gently ran his fingers over Fjord’s erection a second time. His hips twitched involuntarily, drawing a low chuckle from Caduceus.  
  
“Let’s make you more comfortable,” the firbolg said, shifting up the bed to lean against the headboard. Fjord moved to join him, but paused, remembering the oil in his pack that would make for a better experience.  
  
“Just a moment,” he said, sliding off the bed and onto his knees to dig through his pack where it rested against the nightstand. He quickly found the fine balsam scented oil that he had bought a while back to condition his gear. He distinctly remembered being confused when the half-elven woman at the shop had handed it over, winking at him and telling him it would be “useful.” _Oh._ That _kind of useful._  
  
Fjord placed the bottle on the night stand and sat back on the bed, slowly leaning back into Caduceus’ waiting embrace. The firbolg wrapped his arms around Fjord, humming happily and sending the vibrations of his deep voice straight through the half-orc. Fjord tilted his head back against Caduceus’ shoulder, closing his eyes and grabbing the strong hands that held him there. There was a certain lack of privacy that came with traveling with six other people and spending nights on the road inside of a 20 foot diameter dome, but Fjord had sorely missed this closeness, this intimacy with another person.  
  
He was slowly brought out of his reflection by Caduceus’ voice saying, “Fjord, can I touch you?”  
  
“Of course, Ducey, please,” Fjord breathed, shivering at and relishing the feeling of Caduceus’ hands sliding down his body. He gasped as the firbolg took his cock in his hand, running a calloused thumb over the tip. Fjord closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation of a touchthat was not his own. He yelped when he felt something cool sliding down the underside and looked down to see that Caduceus had retrieved the oil from the nightstand and drizzled some over the head of Fjord’s dick, spreading the slick over Fjord’s length with his hand.  
  
As Caduceus continued to stroke Fjord, the half-orc gave him small directions, which Caduceus readily adapted. The firbolg was more than happy to learn Fjord’s body, following Fjord’s instructions between panting breaths; “Tighter, Ducey, twist at the top.”  
  
The pleasure quickly built in Fjord’s core as he and Caduceus fell into a rhythm, Fjord thrusting into Caduceus’ hand and Caduceus caressing his shoulders and hair with his free hand and lips. The firbolg moved his hand to the half-orc’s side, gently trailing his fingers up the side of Fjord’s body from his hip to his chest. The rough pads of Caduceus’ fingers teased at a nipple, ghosting over the raised skin before squeezing lightly. Fjord gasped, feeling his orgasm creeping up his spine. He turned his head back and grabbed the back of Caduceus’ neck, pulling him down into a searing kiss. As his release washed over him, Fjord cried out against Caduceus’ mouth, his spend spilling over Caduceus’ hand. He panted heavily, his hair falling out of its usual coiffe and into his eyes.  
  
Looking up at Caduceus between the strands of black and grey, Fjord smiled, saying, “Thank you, Caduceus. I’ve said that a lot tonight, but truly, you are amazing.”  
  
The firbolg smiled back, brushing his nose against Fjord’s before pulling a rag from somewhere and cleaning Fjord’s release off of them. When he was done, Caduceus dropped the rag to the floor, wrapping his arms around Fjord’s torso and nuzzling into his neck. Fjord tucked himself back into his smallclothes, not bothering to lace his trousers, and twisted, gently guiding Caduceus to lay parallel to him on the bed.  
  
Following Fjord’s guidance, Caduceus slipped down to nestle next to Fjord on the pillow, placing his forehead against the half-orc’s, his mane of pink hair fanned out around them. Fjord brought his hand up to card through the firbolg’s soft, rose colored locks. The two men sighed, staring into each other’s eyes and silently thanking the Wildmother for the fortune of knowing the other.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! There's probably a sequel coming soon where Cad initiates and actually wants to take things further than then went here. I just cannot get it out of my head that Cad is some variety of ace. Comments and kudos are always always always appreciated! <3


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